A bright future for Television Centre

In 2013 the BBC departed its long term home at Television Centre. This left the huge iconic building in White City, London empty. The broadcaster had called the building home since 1960 and it had become a treasured icon as a result. Naturally the sight of the property standing empty caused a lot of concern. Luckily though plans were quickly put in place to redevelop it to see it put back to use. The future for the site looks very bright indeed. The masterplan for Television Centre is impressive, featuring new homes, office spaces, a hotel, gym, cinema and landscaped communal grounds. The legacy of the BBC will be preserved on the site too with the television studios remaining and BBC's Worldwide service continuing from their headquarters.The site will become a very interesting exploration of residential architecture and create 950 new homes for London. These will be various sizes and styles, including apartments of varying size in the Crescent and the Helios buildings. Alongside these the Drama Block will be transformed to create town houses and apartments. Future developments for the site will create a residential tower and a series of townhouses with private gardens.The Helios will be home to both courtyard and garden apartments when the work is finished. Both styles of home will offer something special, including great views and contemporary designs. Even with the conversions though the Grade II listed building will be preserved, securing the landmark property and its wonderful facade.The Crescent will also become home to modern, well equipped apartments. Each will have a balcony or terrace, delivering great views and valuable outside space. The views could include the new gardens or Hammersmith Park; some of the homes will provide both.The work on Television Centre is expected to be completed by 2018. A set of show apartments were completed earlier this year and the official website of the project includes plenty of images and information for you to browse.The project is a fantastic example of how buildings can be preserved and redeveloped to ensure they have a great future. It also shows that commercial properties can be effectively transformed into residential architecture, even those iconic ones in large cities like London.